Acknowledgements

It may seem bizarre in the light of the conclusions at which this book
arrives, that some of the people I have to thank most for help,
information and co-operation in writing it, are officers of the Church of
Scientology. My gratitude is nonetheless sincere and although I know
that I may be accused of biting the hand that fed me, I should make it
clear that it was my purpose to hear all shades of opinion both for and
against Scientology with an open mind. After collecting and studying
the evidence by interview, from documents and published material,
the fact that I felt compelled to make adverse comments upon L. Ron
Hubbard and his religion is, I believe, a reflection upon the content of
that evidence rather than upon any bias or capricious ingratitude
upon my part. I hope it does not sound too patronizing to say that I
hope that many of the friendly people within the Church of Scientology
(and there are many unaware of the true nature and practices of
their church) may one day come to a similar decision when they view
the evidence away from the glow of uncritical commitment.

In particular, I would like to thank Mike Garside, the Director of
Public Affairs of Scientology in the UK, who, along with his team at
Saint Hill in East Grinstead, supplied me with material and allowed
me access to Scientology organizations; Rich Haworth, then Director
of Public Affairs at Flag HQ in Clearwater, Florida when I visited there
in September 1984; Mrs Shirley Young and Mrs Susan Jones, who
were my chaperons in Los Angeles; Mr Marshall Goldblatt for
generous hospitality, and Rev Heber Jentzsch, President of the Church
of Scientology International.

Among the disaffected Scientologists and 'independents' I would
particularly like to thank are: John Atack of East Grinstead; Robin
Scott and his wife Adrienne at Candacraig, Strathdon; John

9

RELIGION INC.

McMaster; Neville Chamberlain; 'Alyson'; and Gulliver Smithers.
From the opponents of Scientology I would like to single out the Clark
family: Dr John Clark MD of Harvard Medical School, his wife
Eleanor and daughter Cathy; Dr Michael Langone of the American
Family Foundation; and Boston attorney, Michael Flynn.

Other sources of material and assistance were the Editor of the
*Sunday Times*, Andrew Neil, and Julian Browne of the Colour
Magazine; Kevin Holland of Reader's Digest; Sarah Hogge for
permission to use her study undertaken within the Religious Studies
Department at Lancaster University; Peter Clarke of the Centre for
New Religious Movements at King's College, London; Professor Roy
Wallis and Dr Steve Bruce of the Department of Sociology at Queen's
University, Belfast.

Last, but most of all, I would like to thank my friend and agent,
Andrew Hewson; and Simon Scott, Editorial Director of Harrap, for
encouragement, advice and in the journalistic cliche, for 'doing the
biz'.